The Unlikely Lady (Playful Brides #3)(9)

“I know.” Garrett nodded. “But I think it’s important.”

“I don’t disagree with you,” Claringdon said with a firm nod. “We’ll speak to Swifdon.”

“Thank you,” Garrett replied. “Care to try your luck with the bow?”

Claringdon stepped forward. “Don’t mind if I do. I actually came here to see Lucy. She told me that she and Daphne were shooting.”

“They just left. They had Miss Lowndes with them.”

Claringdon took the bow and pulled back. “Jane?”

“Yes.”

Claringdon shook his head. “I do hope those two think things through a bit more before they get themselves into trouble.”

“Trouble?”

“Yes. Didn’t Lucy tell you? She’s hired a new chaperone for Jane. A Mrs. Bunbury.”

“Bunbury?” Garrett cursed under his breath. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that name.





CHAPTER SIX

“How is the beautiful bride?” Jane asked an hour later, as she and Lucy entered Cass’s bedchamber in the large manor house. Cass’s room was as lovely as she was, all pink and white and cheery. There was a gorgeous four-poster bed in the center of the room, a delicate whitewashed bookshelf that took up an entire wall and made Jane nearly salivate, and watercolors of flowers on the wall that Cass had painted herself.

Cass stood from her writing desk to greet her friends, her honey-blond hair cascading over her shoulders. She was still wearing her dressing gown. “The bride? I’m nervous,” she responded with a tremulous smile. “And I have a horrible red spot on my nose that had better be gone before the wedding or I don’t know what I shall do.”

“A red spot? Let me see.” Lucy hurried over to Cass and examined her nose. “It’s not that bad, truly.”

“Not that bad? It looks as if I have a third eye.” Cass touched her fingertip to the offending spot.

“No doubt it’s caused by nerves,” Jane said. “Try not to worry so much, Cass.” Poor Cass. The girl was as anxious as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. She always had been, and the wedding was only making it worse. Of course, Jane couldn’t sympathize, having never been engaged to be married and having the entire ton about to descend upon her home for the wedding. Jane could only imagine the courage it took Cass to face all of this. Especially with her overbearing mother in the way, but the outcome, the wedding itself, was certain to be beautiful.

“That’s right.” Lucy twisted a black curl around one of her fingers. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. Everything shall be splendid. I’ve been helping your mother with all the planning and—”

“You’ve been helping Mother?” Cass’s hand fell away from her face and her cornflower-blue eyes widened.

“Yes, dear,” Lucy replied. “Don’t you know? She’s quite forgiven me, now that you’re to be a countess.”

Jane laughed. “I suppose that would do it.”

Cass’s mother had held a grudge against Lucy for her part in dissuading the Duke of Claringdon’s pursuit of Cass last summer. Lucy had done so at Cass’s behest, of course, because Cass had always been in love with Julian, but that hadn’t mattered to Cass’s status-hungry parents. They’d disliked Lucy immensely for months, until Julian returned and unexpectedly became an earl, that is. Julian’s older brother, Donald, had been killed last autumn while working for the War Office in France.

“I’ve been practically forced to hide from Mother,” Cass said. “I’ve never seen her so prone to hug me. She does so at every opportunity.”

Jane laughed again. “Ah, she’s about to claim a countess as a daughter.”

Cass sighed. “Yes, and it makes me absolutely heartsick that it’s at poor Donald’s expense. The only good thing about it is that since Julian is an earl, he’s able to use his position in Parliament to promote the bill for the veterans.”

Lucy laid a hand on Cass’s. “I know it’s been difficult for Julian and Daphne since Donald died.”

Cass’s eyes briefly filled with tears but she shook them away. “I promised Julian we’d be joyful this week and I intend to be joyful. I am joyful, but still, being so happy under such tragic circumstances is difficult. Mother is so utterly callous about the reason for Julian’s elevation.”

“She’s happy that her darling daughter is getting married. Perhaps you should look at it that way.” Jane adjusted her spectacles upon her nose.

Cass raised a skeptical brow. “Darling?”

Jane shrugged.

Lucy cleared her throat. “Regardless, I’ve been helping your mother with the planning and we’ve everything arranged, including all the festivities leading up to the wedding.”

Cass’s nose reddened and she pressed her handkerchief to it. “The wedding,” she echoed. “Oh, I just cannot believe that I’m about to marry Julian next week. After so many years and then the last six months of waiting and— Will one of you pinch me, please? I’m so frightened that this is merely a dream.”

Jane rubbed Cass’s shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. She was delighted for her friend. Cass was as beautiful inside as she was out and Jane was happy that Cass had found the love of her life. Apparently that did exist … for some people. “No need for pinching. It’s all quite real, I assure you, and no one deserves happiness more than you and Julian.”